Health ministry cuts treatment and isolation period for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients

The adjustment was announced by the Ministry of Health during a meeting between Minister Nguyen Thanh Long with the ministry’s Standing Board for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Ho Chi Minh City and concerned experts.

Accordingly, based on the virus concentration and clinical developments, the ministry decided to reduce the treatment and isolation period for COVID-19 patients. In which, asymptomatic cases at medical facilities will be tested on the 9th and 10th days, if they have low viral load (CT >=30), regardless of the results being negative or positive, they will be discharged for further medical supervision at their residence for 14 days.

The same will be applied for infection cases found in the community, with their first test having CT value>=30, and the second test after 24 hours with CT>=30 or negative results.

In addition, the Ministry of Health also decided to reduce the isolation period to 14 days for all forms of isolation (concentrated isolation, home isolation) for all entries from abroad and those in close contact with COVID-19 cases (F1s).

Phan Van Mai, Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, has said that during the implementation of a current strict social distancing order, the city focuses on screening infections cases (F0s), conducting isolation and providing treatment for F0s, and focusing on vaccination.

Ho Chi Minh City has set up various medical checkpoints throughout the city. (Photo: NDO/Manh Hao)

At a press brief held yesterday to provide information about the epidemic prevention and control in the city, Mai shared that the southern hub has developed three scenarios following the end of the social distancing order.

He urged local authorities and every citizen must strictly comply with the strict epidemic prevention and control measures under the order to soon wipe out the outbreaks.

On the same day, talking to the press about the urgent measures to prevent and control the epidemic that Hanoi is implementing, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh said that the capital city's top priority task now is to prevent the infections from entering the city, but at the same time must not block travel.

According to Anh, the measures Hanoi is taking are necessary and timely with the determination to quickly control the outbreaks. However, these strong measures are only truly effective if they are well implemented and maintained continuously from the grassroots, he noted.

Regarding the establishment of 22 medical checkpoints to control the roads in and out of the city from this morning, Anh said that this is a very important measure, urging the city police to proactively take measures to ensure traffic flow along with pandemic principles and regulations but not to block travel.